Northern California,
and The Bay Area in particular, is truly an audio mecca, playing host
to a plethora of high-end manufacturers (VTL, Audible Illusions,
Wisdom Audio, to name but a few), distributors and retailers. A recent
bout of travel brought me to the area for a pair of two week visits,
giving me an opportunity to explore the audio and music scene
thoroughly.

In the
previous installment of this
ongoing series, I spoke of Brian Hartsell's The Analog Room (www.theanalogueroom.com),
one of the few remaining bastions of the continuing vinyl movement.
Allow me to reiterate my previous assertion that every analog
enthusiast worth his weight in black plastic should make the
pilgrimage to this small, but well-stocked and very friendly, shop in
downtown San José. Your eyes and ears will thank you.

Just a short twenty
minute drive north from San José on highway 101, you'll find
The Audible Difference in Palo Alto. Parking is severely
limited (just two spots allotted for the shop, both of which appear to
be permanently occupied by the store's staff), so you'll want to put
your car to rest at the small strip mall just south. Given the store's
considerable advertising budget (its ads appear regularly in some of
the larger print journals), I expected it to have an appearance that
was commensurate. Instead, I found the shop to consist of a relatively
large, yet rather plain and sparsely occupied, space, whose exterior
was emblazoned with what appeared to be a temporary, banner-like,
sign. Frankly, the shop's appearance reminded me of one of the
transient Persian rug stores (the ones with seemingly-perpetual "going
out of business" sales) that appear, and shortly thereafter
disappear, in large urban centers. Listening rooms were somewhat
better - irregularly shaped, I'll offer for acoustical reasons, and
not too densely populated with gear. After feeling the Arctic breeze
from two salespeople, I hooked up with a salesman named Ben Privitt,
who was willing and able to discuss music and sound. Ben took the time
to demonstrate two of the store's main systems, one consisting of Mark
Levinson electronics and digital front end driving a pair of Wilson
Watt/Puppy 5.1s, as well as one comprised of a Proceed CD player, VTL
MB450 monoblocks, and a pair of EgglestonWorks Andra loudspeakers. A
third room contained a number of Mark Levinson pieces and a pair of
Wilson X-1 Grand SLAMMs integrated into a home theatre setup.
Unfortunately, a demo was not offered. In addition to the brands
already mentioned, the shop represents products from Aerial, Goldmund,
Rega, and Well Tempered. The Audible Difference is certainly worthy of
a visit, although I will likely consider return trips optional.

Approximately fifteen
minutes north-west of downtown San José, along I-280 north, is
the aptly named Bay Area Audio (www.bayareaaudio.com).
A long, narrow, shop, Bay Area audio has some of the most attractive
listening rooms this side of Carnegie Hall. Floor-to-ceiling columns
and handsome lighting are the main architectural features here. The
rooms also feature extensive acoustical treatment designed to tame the
typical listening room anomalies. Unfortunately, these lovely rooms
remained silent during my visit, as my request to hear the Classé
Omega power amplifier driving a pair of Thiel CS7s (both in position
and ready to go) was denied. I was told that the amplifier "isn't
hooked up" and I would have to "come back another time".
As the only patron in the shop, I found it deplorable that the
salesman refused to invest a moment or two of his time in order to run
a pair of speaker cables from amp to speaker. Little wonder that the
public at large has failed to embrace the high-end. Besides the brands
listed above, Bay Area Audio is also an authorized dealer for Audio
Research, Creek, Martin-Logan, Theta, and Sonus Faber.

If you've been
searching for that elusive analog setup accessory, orient yourself on
the 101 north and head for San Francisco's Ultimate Sound. A
modest second-floor shop, representing Totem, VPI, Audible Illusions,
and Aronov Audio, Ultimate Sound's most appealing quality is its stock
of tonearm and cartridge setup and maintenance accessories, including
the Dennessen and DB Systems protractors, the Winds and Shure stylus
pressure gauges, the Benz-Aesthetix moving-coil cartridge
demagnetizer, a selection of headshell screws, and a host of other
useful items. While owner Michael Tam admits he doesn't sell many
turntables any more, he continues to support the analog enthusiast,
and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Before you
mail-order your next analog accessory, give Ultimate Sound a call.
They may have just what you're looking for.

Once you've tired of
the audio shop grind and want to pick up some new music on CD or vinyl
(music is the reason you're into audio isn't it?), the Bay
Area will accommodate. After sifting through The Analog Room's huge
selection of reissues, new and used imports, and immaculate classical
originals (the only downside being that Brian Hartsell actually knows
what the latter are worth!), head to Amoeba Music (www.amoebamusic.com)
in San Francisco's trendy Haight-Ashbury area. I literally became
weak-kneed as I walked into this shop and spied what must be one of
the largest selections of new and used vinyl in the country. For the
most part, prices were very reasonable, an original Mercury Living
Presence Prokofiev's Scythian Suite/Love for Three Oranges for
the ghastly asking price of $200.00 notwithstanding (thanks, Harry).
On any one visit, expect to find a good selection of RCAs (shaded and
white dogs, as well as red seals), EMIs, Deccas, Argos, Mercurys and
Columbia six-eyes, not to mention sealed reissues from the usual
crowd. Looking skyward, one will find the walls of the shop papered
with original Blue Notes, Riversides, etc. for prices in the
$40.00-$60.00+ range. For those of a more digital persuasion, Amoeba
has an enormous selection of CDs, both new and used. A store which
should be on every San Francisco day-trip itinerary. Amoeba's Berkeley
location, located in a rather more seedy neighborhood, pales in
comparison in terms of both selection and record quality.

San Francisco's Flat
Plastic Sound(www.mediarare.com/fps.html)
will appeal to the vinyl aficionado with a strictly classical bent.
Records are reasonably priced (I picked up several RCA white dogs for
$4.00 each), and in good, if not great, condition. If in doubt, take
advantage of the shop's generously provided listening station. The
middle of the shop contains the 'Audiophile" section, containing
RCA Living Stereos (organized by LSC number!), Mercurys (Living
Presence and Golden Imports) among others, all priced quite fairly
considering today's rather insane used LP market. The staff is helpful
and congenial, and ample street parking is available. Ignore Flat
Plastic Sound at your record collection's peril.

Recycled Records,
located in downtown San Francisco, is home to a reasonably good
selection of used vinyl in all genres. Several Columbia six-eyes
tempted but, alas, their surfaces appeared to have been used for Elvis
Stojko's Olympic training, and boasted prices out of step with their
condition. A decent selection of collectible jazz LPs was available
for purchase, but none proved irresistible during my visit. Perhaps
next time...

Postscript: As I
write this, I am steadily traversing the collection of forty five LPs
I hauled over two thousand miles back to Toronto. Physically carrying
this number of records through three airports (San José,
Dallas, and Toronto, Dallas not being on the original game plan, but
proving necessary due to a strike by Air Canada's pilots)and
on and off three airplanes proved to be a daunting task (many thanks
to Brian Hartsell for generously providing a sturdy carrying box!).
Convincing the Canada Customs official that yes, these really were LPs
("you mean like, vinyl discs?") was the final hurdle on what
proved to be an arduous, but fruitful, journey. Yes, the discs arrived
without a scratch (well, none that I had any hand in, anyway) with not
a dud among them. Most are near-mint, some with fairly innocuous
surface imperfections. I look forward to my next vinyl buying
extravaganza south of the border, although I'll likely leave the
shipping to UPS.